At the end of Vreg's Treesure Hunt, you found a chest that contained a letter addressed to him. . . but also, a mysterious piece of very old tech. You learned that it was something called a 'VHS tape' and that you would need a special device known as a 'VCR' to play it. After a few days of searching, you're able to track down the required equipment in a pawn shop of all things.
You gently push the VHS tape into the player and wait, with a bated breath, as the television screen flickers to life. A few moments of white noise fill the area with suspense before a picture finally comes into focus. You see a... poorly drawn image of what you can only assume to be human figures and various objects as if to depict different scenes. A heavily distorted voice begins to speak.
Greetings. I knew I could count on you, friends of the Garbage Lord.
You uncovered my very secret message and have thus earned the privilege of an introduction. I am VK, the truly evil and mysterious mastermind behind the Garbage Lord's suffering.
Now pay close attention as I divulge my monolithic plan in excruciating detail for your eyes only. And then, heh, you'll tell the Garbage Lord about the brilliance of his archnemesis and... oh, he'll be quaking in his boots! I can't wait to see the look on his face... er, not that I was watching you all with binoculars or anything.
The first act was to order one of my many powerful servants to drop the locked box into the ocean. I knew the Garbage Lord would reel it in with a rod capable of such a feat because obviously you can fish a box with a hook! Cartoons have proven that.
VK received many strange looks as they pushed a heavy box across the beach. They were asked if they needed help, but answered while sweating profusely: "No, I can do this! I-I can move it myself."
No one knew why they were clothed entirely, but they shrugged and left them to their own devices. As they reached the pier with the box, they collapsed over it in exhaustion.
VK was gasping for breath under the hot sun when they heard a creak. One of the pier's boards gave way under them. VK and the box fell swiftly into the ocean, and any sound they could have made was muffled by the loud splash.
Soaked, VK went through the long and arduous process of repairing the pier by using wood pulled from the foundation.
With that done, I could focus my servants' efforts on concealing the chest that would hold my taunting letter. Of course the Garbage Lord couldn't open it without first acquiring the many keys we'll talk about in a moment! So he had to first locate the exact number of keys, scattered as they were, and then find the chest so ingeniously hidden.
VK tossed another paper ball into the trash bin as they rewrote their letter for the 13th time.
Once satisfied, the letter was placed and the locks were engaged. VK set to work finding a spot on the beach that would serve as a good 'x' location for the game, and got to digging.
Unfortunately, laws concerning that part of the beach resulted in them being yelled at and the plan was foiled... temporarily.
Returning that night, VK spent a few hours making it a whopping... 7 or so inches into the sand. Dropping the chest inside the massively pitiful hole, they buried it which didn't take longer than a few moments and in true critical thinking fashion, used a few cans of spray paint to mark the 'x' on the ground.
VK breathed a sigh of relief but was quickly interrupted by a nearby party with a raging bonfire. "I would join you, but I'm afraid I must decline as I'm really a very bus- ahh? AHH?!" The people there didn't take no for an answer and pulled VK into their activities which continued until morning.
... And then they had to repaint the 'x' because the first one didn't stay. Always double-coat.
Interacting with the shopkeepers of Voltra was vital to my plan as they would unknowingly serve my ambitions! Plant the keys on them and make it more difficult for the Garbage Lord to find moving targets. I sent my dutiful pawns to carry out this simple but necessary objective, and each one went without so much as a hitch!
Looking through their binoculars, VK piloted a small drone over the unsuspecting pair of Garry and Velvet. The drone had in its cable-like hands a shiny golden key, and its goal was to drop it onto Velvet's flotation device. However, a fish leapt from the ocean to snatch the falling key, and a seagull swooped in to eat the fish and collect the key.
VK bawked into their binoculars: "W-WHAT? IN WHAT WORLD IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?"
Calling back the drone, they planted a second key inside an envelope and made sure the drone's hold was tight. Again they piloted the drone over Velvet's flotation device and the young woman, eyes closed in peace, didn't notice as an envelope fell from above... but it was paper and a sharp gust of wind blew it back to the beach and away from sight.
VK stomped the sand: "REALLY?"
The envelope would later be found by Vivienne who wouldn't find an address on it and open it to find any clues as to its rightful owner.
Third time was the charm as the drone flew over Velvet's location and dropped the key. The key had a tiny weight attached to it which ensured it fell onto her device, and the resulting boing caused her necklace to fly off into the ocean. She would angrily keep the key.
The last key was to be planted on Violet, and the drone rolled its way across the dunes to where she sat under the umbrella.
The drone was not at all inconspicuous, however, and caught the woman's eye as she read. "Hm?" She looked down at it and it halted completely. It would have sweatdropped if it wasn't a mechanical toy. It resembled a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
Violet giggled, "Well, aren't you a cute one?" Its display flashed red for a blush as she took a glance around, "Is your owner nearby?" She cocked her head as a figure darted behind an object in the distance.
"Mm, I see..." She traced a finger over her lips with a smile. "Would you like to stay and chat, then?" She reached out and gently scooped the tiny drone into her hands. A heart flashed on its display as she ran her fingers along its cold construction. "You're like a mini version of mechs! I think I'll call you... Mich, for mini mech."
'Mich' beeped softly as VK tore at their hair from the sidelines. A compartment on the side of the mech opened up and a key quietly slid out and onto the towel to be found by Violet later.
What about the codes, you ask? H-HAH, that was the easiest part! They just had to be distributed along the course of the keys so that the Garbage Lord would find them... eventually. Yes, that's it! My servants were not just given the keys to hand out, but also the codes, and laid them in places that made perfect sense.
Eventually, Mich would return to VK, but not before they could sneak a code under Violet's basket while the woman was preoccupied.
However, Violet caught VK before they could leave and offered a warm smile: "Hello there! Hm, I don't think I've ever seen you before. Are you the owner of that toy?"
"It's not a... n-no, I've never seen it before," VK waved their hands hastily.
Violet arched a brow but didn't press the topic. Instead, she introduced herself. "My name's Violet. Violet Frost. Who might you be?"
They shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze, "Uh, I'm... Vi- H... Ham."
"Ham?" She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
They seemed to puff up their cheeks, "YES! No, I mean - I'm Taro." They added quietly, "Just Taro..."
She grinned, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Taro. Did you come with your family? I'd hate to keep you."
"No," they shrugged. "Nothing like that."
"Well! Maybe you would like to relax for a while? I have a lot of interesting books here. Do you read?"
"I... do, yes." They looked a bit taken aback but found themselves sitting on the towel with her before long, and the two were conversing.
VK eventually found their way to the concession stand where they would pay JC for refreshments. Cecilia would have a fun time with Mich as the little robot wore this expression on its display: ^^
Suddenly, the wind came... again, and the codes VK had left on the counter while partaking in their purchase flew away, scattered by the same foe that made dropping the key on Velvet's flotation device more difficult than it should have been.
VK retrieved some, but one was lost and would be found later by Vreg near the docks.
Thus the last code was stored in a bottle. VK was given the idea by JC who saw the individual struggle and gave them the bottle out of concern.
And such was the game designed by yours truly. It would have been more fun for me if you hadn't helped the Garbage Lord, but hmph. I saw in some cases that you were stumped and so it's fine, I guess. Just remember the friend of my enemy is an enemy too, got that?
You hear a sudden sizzle as if the VHS tape detonates inside the player. . . but it only succeeds in corrupting the picture and not destroying the content entirely. You hear a discontented cough before the recording comes to a close and the screen winks out to quiet blackness. Your own reflection stares back at you.
!
Always ping me please. 
Ash 8/7/19 
